Scottish Executive

Agriculture and Fisheries Council

Dr Elaine Murray (Dumfries) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will report on the outcome of the Agriculture and Fisheries Council held in Brussels on Monday 19 July 2004.

Ross Finnie: Margaret Beckett represented the United Kingdom at a meeting of the Agriculture and Fisheries Council in Brussels on 19 July 2004.

  The new Dutch Presidency presented its work programme for the next six months and identified as its key themes, sustainable agriculture and its public responsibilities, and initiatives to reduce the administrative burden on the industry.

  On agriculture. The Presidency and Commission presented plans for greater Member State co-operation on agricultural research in order to maximise value for the money spent, an initiative which the UK Government strongly supports.

  The Commission reported on negotiations with Russia to renew certification arrangements covering animal and animal product imports from the EU. The negotiations are currently deadlocked and the Presidency indicated that it was planning an intervention at the political level in an attempt to unblock them.

  Member states were asked whether their views had changed with regard to a Commission proposal to authorise the marketing of a variety of GM maize which had failed to get qualified majority support in the Standing Committee on the Food Chain and Animal Health. The UK had supported this approval on the basis of the safety assessments carried out and our position remained unchanged. Member states failed to give the proposal majority support but, under the rules of procedure for such approvals, the Commission now has the authority to make a final decision.

  The Council held a public debate on the Commission’s new proposals for changes to the Rural Development Regulation. The UK stressed the need for more flexibility and better value; a greater transfer of resources from Pillar 1 to Pillar 2 of the Common Agricultural Policy; more emphasis on environmental schemes, and a fairer allocation of rural development resources. There will now be detailed negotiation at official level which will extend over a number of months.

  The Council also debated a new Commission communication on its preferred option for reform of the CAP sugar regime. The proposal calls for significant cuts in EU price support with a further review of the regime in 2008. The UK gave a general welcome to the proposals as a step in the right direction, while urging a swifter end to quotas and emphasising the need to address urgently the impacts on those developing countries which currently enjoy preferential access to the EU market. Again, the proposal will now be remitted for detailed consideration at official level.

  The Council was asked to vote on proposals to change the import tariffs for rice which the Commission has been negotiating with India, Pakistan, Thailand and the United States. The Commission had failed to get agreement with the last two countries which felt that the proposals increased tariffs to a degree that breached WTO rules. While welcoming the agreement with India and Pakistan, the UK voted against the proposal on the grounds that the Commission was seeking to implement the changes on a basis which was contested by some of the parties and that they should instead continue negotiations. The Council, however, voted by qualified majority to adopt the proposal although a number of those voting in favour urged the Commission to continue negotiating with the United States and Thailand with a view to reaching an agreed conclusion.

  The Presidency urged the Commission to come forward soon with proposals to address the illegal timber trade. The UK endorsed this call.

  In an informal exchange of views after the Council had ended, the Commission updated ministers on the latest developments in the current round of WTO negotiations. The UK supported the Commission’s efforts towards securing a framework agreement at the WTO General Council on 27 and 28 July.

  On fisheries the Commission presented its proposal for a European Fisheries Fund to replace the existing Financial Instrument for Fisheries Guidance (FIFG). The main focus will be to eliminate excess fishing capacity and use structural measures to reinforce stock recovery plans.

Arts

Rhona Brankin (Midlothian) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how it is encouraging major events in the international brass band calendar to come to Scotland.

Mr Frank McAveety: I apologise for the delay in replying.

  Glasgow hosted the European Brass Bands Championships, the largest event in the international brass band calendar, from 25 April to 1 May 2004. EventScotland provided £10,000 support for the Championships.

Buildings

Dr Elaine Murray (Dumfries) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what action can be taken by a resident if a building warrant has been granted for a house where the conditions of the warrant have not been fulfilled.

Mrs Mary Mulligan: I have asked Dr Paul Stollard, acting Chief Executive of the Scottish Building Standards Agency, to answer. His response is as follows:

  If the resident is the owner, and a completion certificate has not been granted, it is the resident’s responsibility to take the necessary action to ensure that the conditions of the building warrant are fulfilled. If the resident is not the owner, it is the owner’s responsibility to take the necessary action.

  If a completion certificate has been granted and the terms of the building warrant have not been complied with, the resident should consider seeking independent legal advice, as an offence may have been committed under section (9)4 of the Building (Scotland) Act 1959. Although breaches of this section may be reported by the police or local authority, any individual is entitled to report a suspected offence to the Procurator Fiscal.

  In the circumstances where the work has been carried out by a NHBC-registered builder, the owner may have recourse to the NHBC complaints process. However, a resolution should always be attempted in the first instance between the owner and the builder.

Dental Health

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what action is being taken to give pensioners access to free NHS dental treatment.

Mr Tom McCabe: At present, older people can receive help with the cost of NHS dental services or exemption from charges in the same way as other adults if they are in receipt of certain benefits or qualify under the NHS Low Income Scheme. NHS dental services, including the patient charging system, have recently been the subject of a major consultation and the Executive expects to issue its response to this in the autumn.

  In addition, one of the pledges set out in the A Partnership for a Better Scotland: Partnership Agreement was to introduce free dental checks for all patient groups before 2007. We are in discussions with the dental profession and work towards this target is underway.

Scottish Executive Procurement

Jim Mather (Highlands and Islands) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how much, and what value of, its procurement is channelled through the Office of Government Commerce.

Tavish Scott: Procurement of all goods and services by the Executive is handled through a direct relationship with the contractor concerned. However, where appropriate, the Executive may take advantage of framework arrangements that have been put in place by other public sector bodies (including the commercial arm of Office of Government Commerce (OGC), OGCbuying.solutions) to procure goods and services directly from a contractor. Using such framework arrangements offer a number of advantages.